Seaweed soaked in lemongrass and lime

My aunt, originally from Ninh Thuan , came to visit her hometown and stopped by my house with a kilo of seaweed as a gift from her hometown. Suddenly, she remembered the summer days wandering around Phan Rang-Thap Cham, enjoying the cool seaweed specialties of the sunny and windy South Central region.

My aunt said that seaweed has the effect of cooling and detoxifying and can be used by everyone from the elderly to children and pregnant women. Having been to Ninh Thuan several times, I was most impressed with the seaweed soaked in lemongrass and lime. As if understanding my wishes, my mother took the seaweed from my aunt and said it had to be soaked in lemongrass and lime!

Lemongrass and lime pickled seaweed dish

My aunt has been away from home for nearly twenty years, so perhaps making delicious dishes from seaweed is also a way to find many childhood memories. She said that to pick seaweed, you have to wait for the right time. Winter is the time to pick seaweed jam, summer is the time for seaweed. When she was young, when she went to pick seaweed, she had to look at the season and depend on the level of big waves, small waves, high tide and low tide to dive and pick... Now, people grow seaweed all year round, traders come to the farm to buy and distribute everywhere, so when you go back to your hometown, you can buy kilos of clean, healthy seaweed that also ensures nutrition.

There are many types of sweet and sour pickled seaweed such as pickled raw with sweet and sour fish sauce; pickled with vinegar with onions, carrots, pig ears... In particular, pickled seaweed with lemongrass and lime was once a snack of children in my aunt's hometown, perhaps partly because it is easy to make and quick to make, so whenever I'm "hungry", I just go pick seaweed and come back to make it myself.

First, soak the seaweed in clean water, then remove, drain, and cut into bite-sized pieces. The important "catalyst" for flavoring is vinegar. The vinegar is boiled after mixing with salt and sugar in the right proportions. While waiting for the vinegar to cool, cut the chili into small pieces, slice the garlic and lemongrass into small pieces, then put them in the pot of vinegar and wait until they cool completely. As for the kumquat, just cut it in half, remove the seeds, and put it in the seaweed bowl, continue to pour in the vinegar, and don't forget to add chopped lemon leaves to make the dish more flavorful and fragrant. After completing the steps, put it in the refrigerator for about half an hour and you can enjoy it.

The plate of seaweed soaked in lemongrass and lime is full of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors, both "tongue-tingling" delicious and has a "crunchy" sound when enjoying each strand of seaweed. I picked up a chopstick, feeling happy because I recognized the unique flavor of the Ninh Thuan coastal region in the past. That's why seaweed soaked in lemongrass and lime became my aunt's nostalgia and now has become my expectation.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/huong-vi-que-huong-rong-sun-ngam-sa-tac-185230130181114123.htm